


A Million Kisses

by HermioneGranger1960



Category: Good Girls (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Romance, one shots
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-12
Updated: 2020-11-27
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:34:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21765358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HermioneGranger1960/pseuds/HermioneGranger1960
Summary: A collection of one-shots in which Beth and Rio kiss.
Relationships: Beth Boland/Rio
Comments: 40
Kudos: 325





	1. 7. I've Missed You Kiss

**Author's Note:**

> Based off of this prompt list: https://blog-of-a-multitude-of-fandoms.tumblr.com/post/159975698721/prompt-list
> 
> Visit my tumblr to let me know what you'd like to see next! https://medievaldarling.tumblr.com/

Beth entered the craft store with a relieved sigh. It was Sunday, and she’d seen the kids off that morning, watching them pile into Dean’s car, waving to her as they pulled away. The house was empty and too quiet. Normally she’d do chores around the house, garden, curl up in bed with Rio. Rio – who had been away on a business trip for nearly two weeks now.

He’d been vague with the details; he typically kept most things to himself unless it pertained directly to their business. He’d stopped by for dinner, gave her a quick kiss and was gone. There had been a few texts since then, but they were short and to the point. She’d given up trying to get him to extrapolate and figured he’d talk when he wanted (he usually did).

And so to get out of the house, she went to the small craft store she’d set up in town. It had taken over a year – a year of scrimping and saving and threatening Rio that if he did anything to hand this place to her, she’d never forgive him. Beth knew that he had the money to set up a completely new business several times over – with all the bells and whistles – and all she had to do was ask. Except Beth had everything for the last twenty years handed or withheld from her because Dean held the purse strings and she had no power in the relationship. She hadn’t had a job since high school, and she’d followed in her mother’s steps: once she was married, she stopped working and instead played house with Dean until the kids came along.

With Rio, she was still battling for autonomy within herself. She was so focused on finding her independence and holding onto it that she sometimes found herself chafing beneath Rio’s support when she thought it was a bit heavy-handed which caused more than a few arguments between them.

But he’d given her the space to do this, advising her when she needed it, especially with the legalese side of things. Beth knew he was a good business man, but helping her start this thing from the ground up made him shine. She wasn’t sure if it was because he was acting in a supportive fashion instead of butting heads with her and battling for control like they’d done for the first few years of their rocky acquaintance.

Beth took solace in the small but cozy shop. She sold crafting supplies as well as some of her own creations – everything from costumes to seasonal decorations. Often times when she was feeling overwhelmed she locked herself in the back workroom and slaved over her latest creation, letting her mind slip into the comfortable motions that had soothed her for many years.

And that’s how she was spending her Sunday (the one day the shop was closed) – locked in her shop and distracting herself with the holiday wreaths she had to make. Beth had put out a few and they’d sold immediately, and now she could barely keep up with the demand. She had started taking orders from people, allowing them to specify the theme they wanted. Some were easy – just silver decorations, or just a sparkly bow. Others were more complicated. The one she was currently working on wanted fake snow added, along with a plethora of tiny trinkets. Beth hadn’t been prepared for the struggle she had finding just the right things to adhere to the wreath. Some things were too small, too gaudy, some just not right. The customer was coming in tomorrow to pick up, so Beth had no choice but to finish today.

Hours seemed to slip by, but Beth only knew because her back was aching from where she was hunched over the workbench. Ruby had told her to watch her posture when working because she’d get kinks that even Rio’s fingers couldn’t get out (Annie had snorted and said something vulgar from the corner of the room. Beth ignored her and the blush staining her cheeks). She’d turned off her phone that afternoon once she realized Annie was having a one-man party at her apartment and had started drunk texting her. Beth didn’t have it in her to reprimand her sister for getting plastered at 5pm on a Sunday when she had to work the next morning.

The bell jingling at the front door startled her to an upright position. She’d locked the door, she knew. Beth was far more careful with things like that since her and Rio had started going fairly steady. The closer they got, the more he pulled her in, and the more paranoid she became as she learned more about what he did.

“We’re closed!” Beth called from the backroom, ignoring her aching muscles as she reached for her purse where the pearl-handled handgun rested, just hanging out of her bag so she grab it quickly. She was thankful that she had chosen a table away from the doorway so she couldn’t be seen by whoever had invaded her shop.

“Yeah, I can read. Figured you’d make an exception seein’ as I got a key and all.”

And she was startled all over again, her hand immediately pulling away from her bag. Beth shoved away from the workbench and moved to the door, trying to tidy her hair before he saw (though she knew it was futile – he always saw everything, especially when she was trying to hide it).

There he stood – dark shirt buttoned to his throat, dark pants, and sneakers with a duffle bag strap hooked on his shoulder. Beth stared for a long moment.

“What are you doing here?” she finally asked. “I thought you weren’t back until Wednesday.”

He shrugged, eyes straying around the shop for a split second, like he was taking stock. She wasn’t sure what he was looking for. Beth was always careful to keep the shelves full because it looked nicer than if a few items were missing so he wouldn’t be able to judge business based on a cursory glance – not that it mattered – she let him look at the books because they were washing cash carefully through the craft store.

“Business was done.” He answered casually, eyes fixed on her.

She couldn’t read anything from him. Beth figured things were fine because he didn’t have that hard edge to his shoulders that he had when things weren’t going well, and his lips weren’t dipping down at the edges which typically indicated a sour mood.

“You could have called. I would have stayed at the house so you didn’t have to trek all the way here.” Beth moved past the counter, but stopped, unsure of where they stood after his two weeks of almost no contact.

“I did. Your phone is off.”

“Oh,” Beth suddenly remembered. “Annie was drunk texting me, so I shut it off. I figured an hour would be enough for her to fall asleep.”

Rio huffed, the corner of his mouth turning up a fraction which she knew meant he was amused.

“Your sister’s a trip.”

“Mm.”

Beth knew she was staring, knew she was being weird about it, but she was trying to pick up on something – anything – that would explain what she’d spent two weeks stressing over.

“Why you lookin’ at me like that?” he finally asked, sliding forward just slightly, one hand holding the strap of his duffle bag, the other stuffed into his pocket.

“Like what?”

“Like you just seen a ghost.”

“Sorry,” she blurted. “I just wasn’t expecting you to be here.”

“Well, I am.” He held her gaze, like he was waiting for something, and Beth was so flustered and unsure, she couldn’t think of what it could be. “Thought absence was supposed to make the heart grow fonder or whatever bullshit people always sayin’.”

“I…” And Beth’s brow furrowed. “You…when you were away, you didn’t really seem like you wanted anything to do with me and-“

“Jesus fuckin’ Christ.” He grumbled, letting his bag drop loudly to the floor as he took two long strides to reach her. His hand was tangled in her messy ponytail and his mouth was on hers before she had a chance to admonish him. She wasn’t necessarily religious, but she still didn’t think it was a good idea to take the Lord’s name in vain while adding a word he certainly wouldn’t approve of.

Beth was frozen for a split second before she felt herself go boneless against him.

“Shit, I missed you.” He breathed against her parted lips before kissing her again.

Beth pushed up against him, wrapping her arms around his torso to keep him tethered to her. And now, feeling him against her and touching her again, Beth felt her worries melt away. It felt ridiculous in this moment to believe that she’d questioned his loyalty over a few spotty weeks of texting.

When his hands started creeping beneath her shirt, Beth huffed a laugh against his mouth.

“We are not desecrating my workroom again. It took me months before I could go back in there without stuttering. That and there are pine needles everywhere, and I don’t want to be stuck anywhere on my person with them.”

“Yeah, but you ain’t got pine needles in your office. Still haven’t had you on a desk, though I offered at the dealership.” He grabbed her hand, pulling her back behind the counter.

“You didn’t offer,” Beth protested. “You were trying to strong arm me.”

“Yeah, ‘cause you were bein’ a smartass.”

“You liked it.” Beth shot back, knowing she sounded smug.

“Yeah, too much.”

Later, sprawled out on the paperwork he’d shoved to the floor in an effort to clear her desk, he would explain that he was spotty with messages because she distracted him too much and he needed to focus on what he was doing. Beth would get him to promise her that next time he’d tell her that, instead of letting her dangle in the unknown. She would breathe against his neck that she missed him too, softly in the dimly lit office, and he’d kiss her like he was sealing something between them. Beth was certain he was.


	2. 5 & 26: Angry Kiss/Jealous Kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rio asks Beth to do some recon during a gallery opening. Things get a little heated as drinks flow and feelings come to a boiling point.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is my attempt to get back on the writing horse!

Beth wasn’t a jealous person. She never had been, not even with Dean. Even when his numerous affairs seeped from the bowels of her marriage, she hadn’t been jealous. Amber had been younger, taller, firmer, but still Beth didn’t care.

So it took her longer than it should have to acknowledge the snarling beast in her mind as she watched a tall brunette giggle at Rio.

Beth had agreed to attend a gallery opening for Rio. Not with Rio – _for_ Rio. He wanted her to mingle with people who showed up and report back to him what she found – specifically one particular man who Beth assumed Rio was looking at conducting business with. He was typically tight lipped about why he wanted her to follow that one particular man around.

She told him she didn’t like doing things blind.

He didn’t care.

She’d dressed in a tight red dress that was cut slightly lower than she was used to or frankly comfortable with, but she knew her usual clothes wouldn’t fit in at a gallery opening. Her flowered blouses would stick out like a sore thumb in a gallery like this.

Beth had been nervous when she’d first arrived, grabbing a flute of probably expensive champagne and drinking it down quickly while trying to ignore her sweating hands. She looked around the large gallery, all sharp angles and clean lines, thinking that this had Rio written all over it. The room was empty except for gallery attendants and caterers setting up stations. He wanted her there early, so she arrived fifteen minutes before the time he’d given.

When he stepped from a back room, he stopped for a brief moment when he caught sight of her, something tender yet intense flashing quickly across his face that made her skin grow hot before he replaced it with a cavalier smirk.

“You ready for tonight?” his voice rumbled as he stepped towards her.

“With the extremely limited information you’ve given me? Of course.” She answered sarcastically before taking another sip of champagne.

Rio bit down on his lower lip while letting his gaze drag leisurely down her form. Beth turned away to study the canvas in front of them – more to avoid his eyes than any interest in the piece. It was just a mess of blue and green splatters that meant nothing to her. She could feel him gearing up to say something, but the caterer called for him and Beth sagged with relief when he headed in the opposite direction.

Within a half hour the gallery was buzzing with people. Women elegantly dressed and wearing dresses that were probably more expensive than her entire closet combined intermingled with men who were equally as glamorous. Even in her new dress, Beth felt out of place in this posh crowd. She felt like her lack of finances was something they could see written on her exposed skin, something they could tell before she even opened her mouth.

Beth mingled, slipping into her role easily. Rio wandered around the room between groups, smiling and chatting, clearly buttering up potential buyers. Once the second glass of champagne settled heavily in her stomach, Beth found her target.

He was standing alone, gazing at a canvas. Alessandro Ricci. He was tall and all angles. He was dressed all in black, hair carefully slicked back with just a hint of a curl and Beth found herself wondering how hard he had to fight to tame his hair. Her eyes were drawn to his lanky perfectly manicured fingers gingerly holding his champagne flute as if it could shatter at any moment.

Beth stopped beside him, taking in the canvas. She felt him surreptitiously eyeing her and Beth caught his gaze with a smile.

“You like it?” Beth asked, gesturing to the canvas.

The man turned back to gaze once more at the work before giving an elegant shrug of a shoulder.

“I do not understand it.” He finally offered with a slight accent. “It is a mess of paint.”

Beth laughed, a little too freely because of the alcohol, but it was a relief that she didn’t have to fake interest any longer.

“I don’t get it either,” Beth admitted, staring at the canvas as if the answer would pop out at her. “If you don’t get it, then why are you here?” she asked.

“Why are you here?” he questioned, turning from the work to face her with a raised brow.

Beth met his gaze for a long moment before turning away. “Culture.” She answered into her flute with a smirk.

He laughed quietly, a smooth and controlled sound. The man remained close to her for the next few hours. They moved around the room, stopping at each piece to critique it playfully. It was a relief to be able to admit that she didn’t understand an ounce of what she was looking at. Alessandro was the same, seeming to let his guard down as they moved around the room. Beth was surprised that she was enjoying herself.

He had other associates in the room – something she picked up on almost instantly. He kept meeting the eyes of various people around the room for longer than deemed appropriate for strangers. Beth hoped that Rio knew that, though knowing Rio, she was sure he had his own people in the building. Alessandro was a man used to getting what he wanted, used to being the top dog in a room. He oozed confidence. People cleared the way when he moved through a room. Women’s eyes followed him closely and hungrily.

The evening came to an end when Alessandro stepped away to take a call. Beth tried to eavesdrop, but he was speaking rapid fire Italian. She meandered around to give him privacy, catching Rio’s gaze for a second. His stormy expression made her pause for a moment before she turned her back on him. Even with her back turned she could feel his eyes burning into her.

“Please forgive me,” Alessandro strolled quickly up to her while sliding his phone into his inner breast pocket. “Some urgent business has come up and I must go.”

He made his exit with a lingering kiss to the back of her hand. She wasn’t offended that he didn’t offer to contact her later – it would save her some inevitable awkwardness down the line.

And now she found herself watching a brunette paw at Rio who was smirking down at her. Beth had just acknowledged the jealousy careening through her veins when Rio looked up, snidely. It was petty, this eye for an eye thing he was pulling, and she didn’t appreciate it.

Beth slipped into the back hall so she was out of sight of most of the guests and waited, nursing another flute of champagne, knowing he’d have picked up on her pointed look to meet her there. It wasn’t the first time she’d met him some place private with just a glance. Beth clamped down on her runaway thoughts. She’d forgotten how many glasses she’d had to drink that night, and at this point, she didn’t care. The alcohol let her feelings run a little rampant, and all she was feeling now was a simmering rage.

Rio showed up a minute later, hands stuffed into his pockets. He leaned his back casually against the wall and eyed her.

“So?” he prompted.

Beth relayed the information quickly and efficiently, not sure what he could possibly get from her observations. She could hear the sharpness in her voice, the undertone of deadly ice but she was too far gone to care. He must have clocked it because his lips turned up just slightly at the corner, his head tipped just slightly to the side.

“You get his number?” he questioned.

“No – why would I?”

“You two looked pretty cozy all night. Figured you’d leave with’em.”

“Stop being ridiculous.” She scoffed. “I already have to deal with one of you, two would be too much.”

“Come on, ma,” he murmured, pushing off the wall and into her space, crowding her. “You like it – you get off on this – the danger, the thrill. You coulda got out months ago, but here you are.”

“Don’t be crass.” She bit out. “Now, seeing as he’s gone, I consider my job done here meaning you deduct ten thousand off our debt, just like we agreed.”

“That’s alotta money just to watch you bat your eyes at a man all night.”

“Please,” she nearly sneered, knowing the gates were coming down. “That’s exactly why you wanted me here. Who could resist a red head who looks like this?” she gestured down her body, her voice dripping with distain. “What’d you expect? He’d spill his deepest darkest criminal secrets just to get in my pants? Perhaps you should have had your brunette friend have a go at him, she seems more than capable.”

“How much you had to drink?” he asked, eyeing her glass.

“Not nearly enough.” She shot back. “Don’t pretend like you didn’t want me to flirt with him in order to let his guard down. The only reason you wanted me to come tonight was because of how I look. Tell me something – what’s Alessandro’s track record with women? More bust than brains?”

She noticed the flicker cross his face. It was gone in the blink of an eye, but it was enough to let her know that she hit the nail on the head. Beth gave a dry humorless laugh feeling _years_ of being objectified flaring up.

“Maybe next time you want to pull a stunt like this, you can let me know. I’ll try to find something sluttier to wear so we can get some real results.”

He scowled, ready to hiss something that would probably make her angrier, when someone stepped into the hallway. They both turned.

“Oh!” The brunette was a poor actress as she tried to pretend she didn’t deliberately interrupt. “Sorry, I was looking for the bathrooms. I’ll leave you to it.”

Except she remained close to the entrance of the hallway, letting her presence act as a reminder of her claim on Rio. Beth smiled coldly at the woman as she pretended to study a piece of sculpture while keeping them in her line of sight. She was afraid of losing her catch for the night. And Rio was a catch. He was young, attractive, and confident to the point it was annoying. Like Alessandro, Beth doubted either had to ever fight for a woman’s attention.

Beth could feel this seething thing between them coming to a head. It was bubbling up in her chest and crushing her shoulders down at the same time. It was exhausting being in his presence, always waiting to see what was going to happen with them next. Every interaction with him was charged and left her exhausted afterwards. This one was no different.

Except this time Beth was angry. Angry at being used, angry at Rio for a multitude of reasons, angry with herself for letting her feelings impact her judgment, and angry at the brunette for her petty games. Did she think that Rio would sweep her off her feet if she was good in bed? That she’d be set for life once she bagged him? That she could hold his attention forever?

Hardly.

Beth turned back to Rio. He had watched her analyze the woman circling like a shark that just scented blood in the water.

And then everything in Beth snapped.

Beth launched herself at him, mouth adhering to his as he stumbled against the wall with a surprised grunt. The power she felt shoot through her at the fact she’d caught him off guard made her head swim and blood rush through her veins. Her hand was hooked around his neck in order to anchor herself to him. He opened to her a moment later when her tongue traced the seam of his lips.

It was not a good kiss, and it wasn’t meant to be. It was meant to be dominating and claiming, forceful and demanding.

Beth took, pressing herself against him, feeling every line of his hard form against her. She felt his hands on her back, warm through her dress and pulling her tighter to him. She could feel the hunger in him, bursting through the carefully built defenses. Beth felt like she was being pieced together but torn apart at the seams at the same time.

She pulled away, snagging his lip for a second before pulling away completely. His eyes were blown wide and his breath was ragged against her face. Beth studied his swollen lips for another second, relishing his disheveled appearance before stepping away from him.

Rio remained against the wall, head tilted down, watching like a predator. Beth realized how cramped her fingers had become as she clenched the champagne flute. Clearing her throat, Beth turned and headed back into the gallery, not sparing a glance at the gaping brunette.

Ditching her glass on an unoccupied table, Beth grabbed her coat from the coat check before stepping into the cold night. The blast of frigid air brought her back to her senses. It was foolish to let him goad her like that. Beth knew what he was like, knew he enjoyed crawling beneath her skin.

Beth called a cab, knowing she drank too much to drive. When she got home, Beth poured herself some bourbon and went to her bedroom in order to take a shower. She left the glass on her bathroom sink before climbing into the scalding spray. There was nothing better than a hot shower to unwind after a long day. With the kids at Dean’s, she had the house to herself, thankfully. She needed time to sort through this evening before becoming mom again.

Only when her skin was bright pink did Beth step from the shower. She dressed in her comfy pajamas, applied her face cream and worked to dry her hair. With a sigh she reached for her glass.

It was gone.

Beth stared at the empty spot, questioning if she’d actually put her glass there or not. Her eyes flickered to the bathroom door, just cracked opened. She already knew what she was going to find when she stepped from the steamy bathroom and into her chilly bedroom.

Rio was seated on the foot of her bed, her glass dangling between his knees as he swirled the amber contents. Beth dropped her towel into the hamper before flicking the bathroom lights off.

“What are you doing here?” she asked quietly, the anger and fight having left her in the cab on the way home.

“Who’s the guy you seein?”

Beth’s brow furrowed. This wasn’t where she thought this conversation was going.

“What guy?” she asked.

“Last week.”

“Are you…are you _following_ me?” she questioned.

“Gotta see who you dealin’ with.”

“My personal life isn’t part of business.” She snapped.

“Everythin’ comes back to business.” He softly murmured. “So who is he?”

“Why don’t you tell me?” she pushed back. “I’m sure you’ve already done your homework.”

He gave a small smile, knowing he’d been caught but he didn’t care. Beth watched as he took a small sip of her drink, a slight wince following the motion as it burned down his throat. The tension was thickening in the air around them.

“I know he ain’t right for you.”

“What, and you are?” she shot back not bother to keep her snark in check.

The silence hung heavily in the air. Beth had braced herself for some snide retort, but he remained quiet, watching the bourbon circle the glass. It bothered her that he wasn’t looking at her, wasn’t challenging her. He was almost…docile. And that somehow seemed wrong for this man who was always up in arms and ready to snap, who now sat with his shoulders slightly hunched.

“Oh.”

Her soft exhale was enough to bring his gaze back to her, something soft and vulnerable there. She didn’t know how to deal with this side of him.

“You and I are cut from the same cloth, ma. Just how it is.” A sense of finality rang in her suddenly too small bedroom.

“What are you saying?”

“You ain’t ever gonna be happy with those car man look-a-likes on the hunt for another woman to raise their kid.”

“That’s my business,” she half-heartedly pushed. “So you’re saying I’ll never be happy with who I date while you’re gallivanting around with any woman who bats her eyes at you?”

Rio sighed heavily, straightening his spine.

“I told you sweetheart, it’s lonely at the top. Datin’ wasn’t in the cards for me.”

“And it suddenly is now?”

“You could say that.”

Beth remained still as he stood, slowly moving towards her. She could smell his aftershave as he leaned around her to place the glass on her dresser.

“You and me ain’t ever gonna be happy with someone who doesn’t live the life – doesn’t understand what we do.”

“It’s possible to separate-“

“Nah.”

Beth didn’t push it. She didn’t believe the words that she was trying to say. For a year they’d been doing this, and it was impossible to keep her criminal life separate from her home life. It wasn’t possible. Beth started out thinking that she could, but the lines blur and things get muddy until you don’t know how to separate them again because they’ve fused together into an inseparable mess.

“You think I didn’t try when I started slippin’ into this? Why you think Marcus’s ma and I aren’t together? Your partner either in or out, that’s it. You think your cardboard cutout date not gonna ask questions? You gonna keep lyin’ every time you sneakin’ off to meet me? Can’t live like that, mami. It wears on a person.”

“I didn’t want this.” She admitted in a whisper, feeling weak and slightly drunk. “I only wanted to save my family from what he did. I didn’t…”

“You started out that way, maybe,” he agreed, brushing a wet lock of her hair from her face. “But it made you feel alive, didn’t it? No matter, it’s always gonna come back to this.”

 _To me. To us._ The words remained unspoken, but they hung heavily in the scant few inches between them.

“You foolin’ yourself if you think you can go back to that life.” Rio continued, eyes slowly tracing across her face, his warm breath on her skin. “You were made for this. Your old life ain’t ever gonna be enough for you again. Not sayin’ you can’t do it, but it’ll eat you alive in the end.”

Beth swallowed thickly. It was infuriating how on point he always was. It had crossed her mind in the middle of the night when she couldn’t sleep, returning to her old life. Could she be that woman who ran bake sales and made costumes for dance recitals and devoted all of her time to taking care of her family? She remembered the time early on when he’d shut things down because of the heat from the feds and she’d nearly screamed in the middle of a playground because she couldn’t _stand_ the monotony. She remembered throwing herself into baking for the holidays when she’d stepped away from the operations, only to have her work be shoved aside by women who were too afraid to take a risk on something as mundane as a classroom party.

Sometimes she wished she never discovered this facet of life, never discovered the heady thrill of illegal activity. Ignorance is bliss – so they say.

But as she steadily met the gaze of the man standing in front of her, she found herself thankful she had discovered this part of her. She was thankful that he looked at her and didn’t see a middle aged mother who had hit her expiration date. It gave her a confidence she’d never experienced before.

“Why are you doing this now?” Beth asked.

“Aside from the fact I was a second away from draggin’ you into a storage closet tonight after you came onto me?” he smirked at her shocked expression and blush before the humor drained from his face, his eyes dark and serious, but gentle. “The top doesn’t have to be lonely, sweetheart.”

Her mind briefly flitted to the moment they sat in the bar and he explained to her that the path she was taking required sacrifices. It was one of the first moments she saw him unguarded. It was a moment she kept going back to.

Beth lifted her hand, letting it fall to his chest, watching as the fabric of his shirt shifted beneath her hand. She lifted her gaze just slightly to trace the undone collar or his shirt which displayed more of his neck tattoo than she’d seen in a while. Beth hadn’t been a fan of tattoos until him.

“I think I’m kind of drunk.” She finally said.

Rio huffed a soft laugh, his fingers brushing down the side of her face. She leaned into his touch with a soft sound.

“Figured,” he murmured. “I drove your car home.”

“Thanks.” Beth softly answered, deciding she’d think about the fact he did something for her without demanding some type of repayment tomorrow.

“Let’s get you into bed, yeah?”

“No sex.”

Rio laughed. “You need sleep, mama.”

“Rio.” Beth knew he felt the weight of her voice when he stepped fully into her space, leaning down to press a kiss to her cheek.

“We can talk about it tomorrow –it’ll hold till then.”

“With us, you never know.” She muttered, breathing him in.

“True.” He chuckled. When he went to step back Beth grabbed a handful of his shirt, stopping him. Without a word she stepped into his space and up onto her toes in order to kiss him softly. A promise, a compromise, she wasn’t sure. It wasn’t the end but rather the spark of a new beginning, or at least the hope of one.

When they separated, Rio rested his forehead on hers. It was a different type of intimacy, one that they hadn’t ever really shared. The times they’d hooked up weren’t soft or safe, not like this moment in her dark bedroom where they were simply being with one another. In this moment it was only him and her and something new emerging on the horizon.

The road ahead was not going to be a smooth one, Beth knew, but that was a problem for the light of day. Right now, she was content to just be.


	3. 2. Kiss on the forehead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rio keeps a secret from Beth that begins to impact their life and Beth sets him straight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Want to talk about Good Girls? Come visit me on tumblr! medievaldarling

Rio was up before her, up before the sun. He never slept well when things were goin’ to shit out there, was hard to be around, he knew.

The last week he’d spent poppin’ in and out of warehouses and businesses, meeting with his guys and sending feelers through the neighborhood. New blood was movin’ in. Normally he wouldn’t care if new guys moved in as long as they kept their hands off his shit, but this new blood was loud. Loud enough that there was a danger they’d draw heat to the area and Rio would find himself under a spotlight he couldn’t afford.

He was uptight at home, his fuse shorter than usual and the kids more rowdy than he could handle. He’d ended up in the little run down studio turned boxing ring that a friend of his owned beatin’ the shit out of a punching bag or anyone who challenged him to a round. He was just about spent when he climbed from the ring. Not bothering to shower, Rio grabbed his things and headed home. It was nearly midnight when he pulled up to their home, the house thankfully dark.

He dropped his bag off in the mudroom atop the washer remembering they had to do laundry tomorrow while checking that the door leading into the backyard was locked. Elizabeth had gotten better at makin’ sure the house was locked tight; it had taken some time to get her there. When he stepped back into the kitchen, the lighting over the island flicked on. He found her standin’ in the doorway, clearly waiting for him.

“What’re you doin’ up?” he asked, his voice rumbling softly in the quiet room.

She stepped into the room, a stack of papers clutched in her hand. Rio stilled, trying to read something from her closed off expression, knowing that something was wrong but not being able to pinpoint it. They hadn’t had a lot of time together over the last few weeks, like two ships passing in the night. He could feel the barely concealed rage in her and was bracing for when the gates inevitably opened.

She tossed the stack of papers onto the kitchen island and he watched as they spread across the granite surface.

“Here are all the kid’s progress reports.”

The accusation was there, a barb she shot with cold accuracy, and - _fuck_. Parent teacher conferences. They’d scheduled five in a row to get’em all done on the same day.

“Shit, mama,” Rio scrubbed a hand down his face. “I forgot-“

“Kenny’s math grade went up, so that’s good. Jane has all A’s, Emma is struggling a bit with math, Danny’s teachers say he’s quiet in class but is excelling, and Marcus is outgoing and all of his grade have improved.” She barreled through his apology, firing off about the kids with a sharp tone. It was only when she’d finished that she looked up at him, those blue innocent doe eyes full of fire.

“I don’t know what’s going on with you lately, and God forbid I try and ask – you brush me off like I don’t need to know.”

“You don’t.” Rio snapped before he could stop himself, he could see the tightness of her body and the growing rage as he tried to shut her down.

“We decided to do this, Rio,” she gestured to their new home, built to their specifications, but really gesturing to the life they’d built together. “We argued over what school to put the kids in for _months_ , I told you when these meetings were and I find myself standing outside the school like an idiot waiting for you to show up.”

“I got caught up.” He answered, the excuse sounding weak to his own ears.

“I called, I left messages, and then you shut your phone off. What am I supposed to think?”

“What, you think I gotta side piece?” His voice was scathing, and it was a low blow to reference how her last relationship went up in flames, and shit if he didn’t regret it the second the fire faded in her eyes. He watched as she built up those walls he last saw when they’d first started working together and she was scared of him, what they were doing, and of herself.

“No,” she softly responded, her voice carefully neutral. “I don’t think you’re cheating on me. I was disappointed that you weren’t there, that again I found myself counting on a partner to be there and they weren’t. And you know, it was easy to deal with that disappointment after twenty years of it – I was used to it. But in the middle of talking to Kenny’s teacher I suddenly wondered if something had happened to you, because that’s where my mind goes when I can’t get in touch with you.”

Rio rubbed the back of his neck. He wasn’t used to people worryin’ about him, not since his mama chewed him out about being in a gang when he was a teenager. He couldn’t meet her gaze, a feeling of shame blossoming in him.

“I trust you to be able to take care of yourself, we both know you’re more than capable, but something has you legitimately worried, and that worries me. I wish…” Beth sighed heavily. “I’m angry that you don’t share things with me when it pertains to business, but it makes me even angrier that you’re not telling me things that could potentially be putting our family in danger.”

They stared at each other, she clocking his closed of expression and he her emotional exhaustion.

“You need to figure it out.” Elizabeth broke the silence with a tone of finality. “You need to decide if you can trust me enough to communicate what’s going on with work. If not,” she looked down for the first time since she started in on him. “Then we’ll have to have a different conversation. I’m done with being kept in the dark.”

Without looking up at him she padded softly from the room. Rio listened to her shuffle down the hallway and to their bedroom. The openness of their kitchen was something he always appreciated, made it that way for her and their brood so they could be with her when she was baking, but now it was too large and too empty. He pulled a beer from the fridge, sitting at the island and carefully reading over the paperwork from the school, reading the comments from the teachers and checkin’ the kid’s progress. They were all smart, just like their mama, and Rio saw an improvement in Marcus just being around them. Marcus was always a good kid, but he was easily distracted in the classroom. Having Jane around learnin’ the same things was a blessing because it kept him engaged. Elizabeth had set homework time at the dining room table before dinner and that structure had helped Marcus in school.

When he was done with his beer and the guilt was thick in his veins, Rio headed to the bedroom to take a shower. He noted Elizabeth on her side, her back to him, though he knew she probably wasn’t sleeping. She never slept well when somethin’ was weighing on her. His shower was longer than needed, and no amount of hot water was going to improve the situation.

He slept fitfully that night, noting that she pointedly kept to her side of the bed with her back towards him.

Now he sat awake just as the sun was creeping over the horizon, watching her sleep. She’d shifted in the night onto her other side so he could see her face, partially obscured by her hair. He always found her beautiful, but sometimes when he watched her bake or play with the kids, or peacefully sleep beside him, it struck him all over again. He was somewhat guilty of putting her in a box he thought she should be in, just like everyone else in her life did. He’d had control over his life and business for so long, it was hard to share those things with another, but she’d proven herself multiple times over.

They operated differently, which is why they butted heads so frequently about work. He was all broad violent sweeps, hit’em hard and leave’em broken. He leaned into people’s perceptions of him. He had to be strong to remain strong in this world. If anyone caught wind of weakness, they’d jump on it in a heartbeat which is why he’d tried to keep her out of it. Rio didn’t like to admit that he had faults, didn’t like to be weak, but the woman next to him and those five babies upstairs were his Achilles heel. And it scared the shit out of him thinking up scenarios of his competitors running recon on him and finding them, vulnerable and alone.

His eyes drifted back to Elizabeth, breathing softly beside him.

Except if someone found them and Rio was out of the picture, they’d never expect her behind those soft curves, wide innocent eyes, suburban mama persona she slid on and off as easily as a much loved sweater. Rio got a thrill out of it, people thinkin’ he was the threat, not even noticing her sharpening her claws behind him.

Because she was just as deadly as he – perhaps more so because people underestimated her. And she _let them_. That right there was her power. Like him, she leaned into people’s perceptions of her and it was often too late for them to adjust their ideas because she was already striking and they were already too off balance to fix their trajectory. And damn if it didn’t turn him on when he got to see it.

It strikes him suddenly, an unfamiliar feeling unfurling in his gut, so unfamiliar that it takes a few seconds to register it.

_He was wrong_.

He was wrong to think he could keep something like this from her. Over the past year she’d taken a larger role in the main operation while letting her girls run the majority of the funny money. She started going with him to meetings, drops, started makin’ contacts. They discussed big moves, weighing the pros and cons of each option carefully in the privacy of their bedroom (she’d argued a few times that they really should keep home and work separate, which he’d agreed to, but she couldn’t help bringing it up and he liked to indulge her).

It hadn’t bothered him when the new blood started encroaching on his territory. They were doing their own shit, but now they were dippin’ their toes into his and they were vicious about it. He’d seen quite a few things splashed across their local news that he knew were the new crowd – shootings, murders, massive amounts of hard shit that cops were pullin’ off the streets. They were careless, and that’s what kept him up at night. No doubt they’ve heard of him, knew he ran a well-oiled operation, and wanted to get their greedy hands on it without doing the work. He’d built this from the ground up, remembering growing weed in his mama’s basement so he could package it and sell it to people at school. These greenhorns just wanted cash as fast as they could get it with the minimal amount of effort.

And that’s where the concern came from, because Rio knew it would be easier to off him and take over. A ready-made empire.

Elizabeth shifted in her sleep with a small sound, squirming farther beneath the comforter. Rio reached over to tug the blanket up so the edge draped over her shoulders. He didn’t know how she slept wrapped from neck to feet without getting too hot in the middle of the night.

Rarely was Rio ever wrong. He couldn’t afford it in his line of work, so he’d gotten used to making the right choices, running through consequences and adjusting where need be. Now though, as he looked at Elizabeth, he knew she was right. They couldn’t continue with him keeping secrets from her, secrets about what was really going on out there, knowing that a turf war was most likely right around the corner. He’d been through a few –ugly, nasty things – and he wondered how she would take the news that there was a pretty good chance things were going to be rough for a while, that they might have to slow business to keep the heat off of them. Elizabeth would have to be on her guard, for her and the kids, would have to be ready for anything, especially when he wasn’t around. Women and children were easy targets, and that made him shift in bed in an attempt to alleviate the growing paranoia.

Rio leaned over in bed, pressing his lips to her forehead for a long moment, trying to imprint this instant in his mind – her safe and warm in their bed, their children sleeping above them. He tried not to take things for granted seeing as tomorrow was never a guarantee for him. He’d gotten so used to the idea of her, of their family, cherished it so much that he never wanted to contemplate that he could lose it all. He needed to recognize the stark reality staring him in the face. Nothing was certain.

“I can hear you thinking.” She murmured sleepily into her pillow, startling him from his thoughts.

“Thinkin’bout what you said.” He responded, brushing her hair from her face.

“It’s too early for that.” She grumbled, making a soft pleased sound as he ran his fingers through her hair.

He leaned down, letting his nose drag across her cheek, loving how warm she smelled, kissing her skin and smiling when she snorted softly as his facial hair scraped against her cheek. Even with her warm and pliant beside him, Rio could still sense the hesitancy in her. By this time she’d have squirmed her way over and plastered herself against him to soak in his body heat and he’d be workin’ his hands under her clothes. Instead she remained where she was, unforgiving and unsure, her eyes closed like she couldn’t face it yet.

“We gotta talk.” He finally rumbled softly. He watched as her eyes slowly opened, meeting his gaze evenly in the dim room. She may have just work up, but she was immediately alert.

“I’m gonna talk, and I want you to listen. Not a word till I’m done, yeah?”

Her hair made a soft sound as it moved against her pillow as she gave him a single nod. He wanted her to stay there – just as she was – when he talked. She was soft now, and maybe – just maybe – he could keep her that way as he told her what had been going on these last few weeks. But he didn’t stop her as she climbed from bed halfway through his confession, watching as she pulled on one of her dozens of silk robes that he found _everywhere_ in their room. She paced as he moved to sit on the edge of the bed, still talking, his throat wanting to constrict against the words that he was forcing out in an effort to shield and protect her.

The sun caught in her hair, making it look like she had a halo of fire surrounding her face, and Rio hadn’t ever seen somethin’ more appropriate. Because this woman was made of fire. Even as he mechanically talked, he watched as she moved back and forth, could see her skippin’ between rage and fear almost faster than he could register. He could see the tension filling each of her muscles, her shoulders lifting, her hands clenched into fists that she shoved beneath her arms as she crossed them over her nearly-heaving chest. He wasn’t sure where the anger was directed – him or the assholes he was dealin’ with – but she was gonna explode.

Only when he stopped did she. Elizabeth had her back to him as she faced the windows that looked over their substantial backyard. She was gathering herself and Rio remained seated, his hands dangling between his knees. To anyone else he was the pictures of ease – he’d gotten used to trackin’ his body language, correcting what gave him away. If she looked at him now, she’d read the firmness of his jaw and the sharpness of his eyes almost as quick as his mother could.

She turned to him.

“The kids, Rio-“

“I got it,” he cut her off, trying to catch her fear before it consumed her. “I got my guys watchin’ when we leave the house.”

“I…I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.” Her shoulders sank, her voice defeated. “I can’t believe that there’s a very serious threat to our family, and you didn’t say a word.”

“I know, mama.” Rio murmured, sitting up and scrubbing a hand over his face, the scratchiness of his facial hair seemed loud in their bedroom. “I know.” He had no excuses for her, because she was right. He should have told her right when he started to worry.

She stepped forward towards him but not enough for him to reach her.

“What now?” she asked, hands planted on her hips, her face set.

“What’d you mean?” Rio asked, wanting her to clarify before he jumped to any conclusions.

“Where do we go from here? What’s our next move?”

And he registered it then, the fierceness of a mother protecting her family, ready to roll up her sleeves and do what needed to be done. Damn if he didn’t admire her in that moment, so much so that Rio found himself explaining how he was going to handle things.

“I got people running recon,” he watched as she listened closely. “Should hear back in a few days. See where we stand.”

“And then?” Beth pushed, stepping closer.

“Give’em a chance to get our without makin’ a scene. If they don’t,” Rio shrugged. “Well, they don’t really have a choice.”

Beth sighed, letting her arms fall to her side. Rio reached up and hooked a long finger in the knot of her robe in order to tug her between his knees. She went willingly, her hands falling to his shoulders and squeezing. He could feel her nails through his t-shirt before she slid them to his face, tipping it back so she could meet his eyes.

“I’m furious that you kept this from me,” she spoke softly, her thumb ghosting over his cheek. “But right now I don’t have time to be furious with you. We need to focus on protecting our family. We’ll deal with that first and foremost, and then we’ll handle everything else.”

“I’ve got it, mama. I’m not gonna let anything get close to them – to you.”

Rio saw the trust in her eyes. Elizabeth huffed, her thumb brushing along his jaw line.

“This isn’t ever going to work if you don’t let me in.” She must have seen something in his eyes because she pushed on. “I’m not saying I need to know every detail of what you do, but if it pertains to me or our family, I need to know.”

“I know.” Rio agreed. “Shouldn’t have kept it from you for so long. Next time I’ll come out with it straight up.”

Beth nodded and Rio pressed his face against her stomach, enjoying the feel of her nails dragging across his scalp and back.

It spoke volumes that she didn’t question that there would be a next time, because they both knew that this was their life. There was always going to be a next time. When Rio got out of the shower later that morning, he found her in the middle of their bed, carefully cleaning the handgun he’d given her.


	4. 39. Spin the Bottle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beth and Rio play spin the bottle.

Rio stared across the kitchen island at Beth who was furiously scrubbing baked on pasta sauce from the lasagna tray that she’d accidently left out the night before. She’d just finished running through the story of Kenny being caught playing spin the bottle at a birthday party when the birthday boy’s parents had left the group alone.

“Ma,” Rio huffed, moving around the island and leaning his hip against the counter beside her. “He’s thirteen. Stuff like this was gonna happen sooner or later.”

“I’d rather it be later.” She snapped, plunging the tray back beneath the water. “He’s...I just think it’s a little young.”

“Hell, I started before him.”

She turned with a shocked expression, and Rio couldn’t help but laugh. Beth huffed haughtily at his smug grin as she returned to scrubbing the pan like she was punishing it, splashing water up onto the shoved up sleeves of a tight red sweater that he was findin’ more than a little distracting. Rio tugged a beer from the pack she’d purchased for him earlier in the week – without him having to ask – because she was always thinkin’ of other people.

Rio watched her scrubbing her frustration out, drinking quietly as he waited for her to buck up enough courage to say what was spinnin’ in her mind.

“I thought I’d have a few more years before ‘the talk.’” She admitted, cheeks staining pink. He wasn’t surprised. Sometimes it was like pullin’ teeth to get her to talk about sex with him, so he couldn’t imagine what it was like for her to do it with her kid.

“Better to catch’em early before he comes to you in a few years sayin’ he knocked up some random.” Rio offered, noting the stiffness in her shoulders. He didn’t think it was a good idea to voice his opinion that Kenny should have been talked to a few years ago – the younger the better. Rhea had suggested they sit Marcus down soon, and Rio had agreed.

Beth had stopped scrubbing and opted for absently staring out of the window, doe eyes wide and far away. Rio found himself admiring her in the silence, eyes watching the progressing thoughts dance across her face.

“I’ll tell Dean that he’ll have to sit down with Kenny next time he has the kids.” Beth finally murmured.

“Oh, hell nah, sweetheart. You gonna send Kenny into the world with a carman speech about sex? You want Kenny treatin’ a girl like your ex treated you?” Hell, Rio would talk to him himself if it meant preventing another carman mini-me from entering the world. He already saw similarities in Kenny and his father, and Rio hoped that the kinks would be worked out by the time he was an adult. He could see Elizabeth working hard to correct the behavior when she saw it and Rio made a point of never arguing in front of the kids, opting to show them what a relationship with another person _could_ be and _should_ be. It boiled down to respect.

And Rio watched it dawn on her that she’d be the one havin’ to sit him down and talk to him. He expected her to be embarrassed, but he saw that stubborn set of her jaw that usually meant she was diggin’ her heels in – being a boss bitch.

“You’re right,” she admitted with a sigh. “I’ll do it after school tomorrow.” Which meant she’d be up late tonight googling how to talk about sex with your kid...which meant he’d be next to her helping.

Once she was done washing the pan within an inch of its life, together they started preppin’ dinner. He liked to cook with her, see how she moved in a space she was completely comfortable in, see her in her element doing somethin’ she absolutely enjoyed. Half the time he was too busy starin’ to focus.

When Rio took his last sip of beer, he studied the brown bottle, turning it in his hand.

“You ever play spin the bottle?” he asked, already knowin’ the answer.

“Of course not.” She stepped up to the island, droppin’ various vegetables in a pile – all to be diced and added to the chicken soup she had cookin’ on the stovetop.

“Hmm.”

Rio stepped up behind her, pressing his hips against hers until she was pinned between him and the counter.

“Rio.” A warning, but not a serious one.

“Come on, ma. Can’t have you goin’ to the grave without havin’ ever played.”

Rio pushed the cutting board to the side and placed the bottle down in front of them. Beth sighed heavily in resignation which made him smile into her hair.

“Go ahead.”

She huffed again, quickly flicking the bottle with a flourish of her pale hand. The scrape of glass against granite was loud in the otherwise silent kitchen. The bottle came to a gradual stop, mouth pointing towards the front of the house.

“There – are you happy?” She sounded smug, and he smiled.

“Haven’t had my turn.”

He reached around her, purposely feeding his arm beneath hers and brushing her hip, pressing tighter against her. They watched the bottle crawl to a stop, pointing at the backdoor.

“I guess we both lose.”

“You forgot somethin’.” He murmured, pressing a kiss to her throat.

“And what’s that?” she asked sounding slightly breathless, which made him smile.

Reaching forward, Rio tapped the bottle until it pointed at Beth.

“I’m certain that’s not in the rules.” She spoke gently, her pliable voice wrapping around him like if often did in their dark room when she was warm and soft for him.

“When have we ever followed the rules?”

Beth laughed, turning in his arms and pulling him down for a kiss, pressing herself tightly against him with a soft sigh.


	5. 51. Public Kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mick tells Rio that Beth is a distraction, leading to some PDA during a drop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here I am again! Crawling from the hole I vanish into every few months it seems. I've returned to toss this one shot at you.
> 
> Enjoy some light fluffy Brio because I can't bring myself to write angst right now!

Spring had crept up on them suddenly, Beth thought as she sat at a picnic table beneath one of the few lights at the park that had been installed and hadn’t gone out yet, adjusting her scarf in an attempt to keep the chill from seeping into her coat. The rest of the park was eerily dark. It was odd being concerned for their safety given their reason for being in the park in the first place. Her eyes flickered to the parking lot, noting that her car was the only one there. She checked her phone – two minutes to go. He was never late, but he was never early either.

Annie and Ruby were chatting about a TV show Beth had yet to start, though they’d begged her for weeks to _finally_ get on board, but she’d been busy with school projects, practices for various sports, and dance recitals. The chatting was turning into an argument, and Beth worked hard to tune them out and focus.

Beth’s hand reached out to brush against the duffle bag that she placed on the table ten minutes earlier. She’d counted, counted, and then counted again to make sure it was all there, neatly banded together before she methodically packed it away. He didn’t like sloppiness – something they had in common.

Things had steadily improved between them and Beth was determined not to let it go to her head. She’d turn out the same quantity and quality as before, putting the same level of perfectionism into her criminal activities as she did crafting. And Beth knew that it was that sort of attention to detail that kept her around for as long as she was – he told her often enough.

Beth’s attention was drawn to the gigantic black car pulling in, swinging a blinding flash of headlights over them. Ruby and Annie had fallen silent and she could feel their anxiety rising. Beth herself was steady, calm, unmoved. Things had shifted quietly but drastically, to the point that seeing his expensive car pull into the lot didn’t make her palms sweat anymore.

She watched as he emerged, one hand stuffed into his jacket pocket, the other reaching up to shove back his hood while Mick slid out from the other side. Beth admired him from afar, noting the feline grace he exuded as he moved across the freshly mowed grass towards their little gathering. She was thankful for the dark and that the girls were behind her so they couldn’t see the blatant hunger in her stare. Only when he’d made it halfway to them did she hear the undertones of an argument, all in Spanish. The pair fell silent when they approached, both still furious. Beth’s gaze flickered between them and noticed the hard glint in Mick’s eyes as he blatantly glared at her. She wouldn’t say they were friendly to one another, but they were cordial. Beth hadn’t ever seen such open hostility before.

Rio jerked his chin at Mick who stepped forward and tugged the duffle bag across the table to start his usual count. The typical tense silence filled the space, broken only by Mick pulling the stacks of cash from the bag and plunking them down on the table. She wondered if the others could sense the underlying strain between the two men.

Beth’s eyes flickered from Mick to Rio, finding his gaze already on her. Usually he’d be on his phone, barely sparing her a glance, thumbs flying across the screen. There was an edge to him as he stared unblinkingly at her, and it somehow worried her and made heat rush into her face at the same time. She wanted to hiss a reproach at him – he was basically undressing her with his eyes in front of everyone and she –

Mick cleared his throat. Beth blinked and tore her gaze from Rio’s, catching Mick as he gave a single nod, stepping away from the table with the bag firmly in his grasp.

“All good,” Rio finally spoke, too calm for the anger still churning in his eyes. “Same time next week, yeah?” he continued, stepping closer.

“We’ll be here.” Beth assured him, trying to decipher the unsettling vibe radiating off of him.

“Cool.” And for a long moment he stood there, staring at her like he was calculating something. Just as Beth was going to ask him if there was a problem, because clearly there was, he was rushing forward. She instinctively threw her hands up as his fingers carded in her hair, pulling her mouth to his.

The world melted away around them, like it always did when he kissed her like this. It wasn’t very often that he poured his pent up rage into a kiss, but he seemed positively unhinged at the moment which was both frightening and exciting. Her fingers weakly wrapped around his thin wrist, her body nearly frozen in shock at his boldness. 

For a brief moment as he tipped her head to the side to kiss her deeper, Beth wondered about Ruby and Annie standing behind her. She hadn’t told her of the man she let sneak into her house at two in the morning when the kids were away, how he’d slide into the bed and plaster himself against her. She hadn’t told them that she was _seeing_ him – that they were a _thing_. Hadn’t admitted that they’d been getting along better at work because they were even better outside of it. That the glow Ruby mentioned a few weeks ago wasn’t from her new skincare routine, it was because Elizabeth Boland was legitimately happy for the first time in twenty years, and it was _beautiful_ and _exhilarating_.

When he pulled away, he simply stared at her, not bothering to hide the sheer hunger on his face or his heavy breathing. She met his gaze boldly. There was no point in playing coy and demure after that.

This would be something they’d have to discuss later. He’d been patient with her wanting to wait to let the girls know that they were an item, in fact, they’d argued about it a few times. He didn’t like the feel like a secret, and she wanted to make sure this wasn’t a fling. Beth had been working through how to tell them; it would be during brunch after they’d have a few mimosas in them so they were tipsy enough to take the edge off of the news. It would make it all together easier. There was an initial flood of relief that she wouldn’t have to look the girls in the eye and tell them, but they’d discussed this, and he’d gone ahead without her. So instead of wrapping herself around him like she often did after drops, they’d most likely be having a discussion which would inevitably lead to an argument seeing as he was already in a sour mood.

“See ya.” He gruffly murmured as he brushed her bangs from her face.

Beth could read between the lines and as she watched him stroll back across the grass: she knew he’d be waiting for her when she got home.

He headed back to his car without glancing at Mick – something was definitely wrong there – and Beth watched. Not that she had to or anything, but it kept her seemingly occupied for a few moments longer so she could pretend she didn’t feel two sets of eyes boring a hole in her back. The moment Rio’s over the top car pulled out of the lot and onto the road, Annie spoke.

“What the _actual_ hell? What episode of _The Twilight Zone_ did I just step into?”

Beth turned, nervously tucking her hair behind her ear before shoving her hands in her pocket. She glanced quickly at them – Annie was outraged, Ruby stunned.

“I don’t know what to say.” Beth wanted to cringe at her own answer, but knew she’d be digging herself a deeper hole.

“You and _gang friend_ are knocking boots? Since when?” Annie demanded.

“A few months, maybe? I don’t remember exactly.” Beth admitted. That much was true – they’d started sleeping together before feelings started getting involved and before she knew it they were so much more than involved – like ‘we’ve been discussing moving in together’ involved.

Annie gave an exasperated huff. “I never want to hear you judge me for who I’m sleeping with again because nothing will top this. Ever.”

Annie pushed past her, heading to the car while grumbling about Rio, but Beth did turn to watch; she was busy steeling herself for the next confrontation. Ruby’s expression was void of anything. Beth knew her long enough to know she was trying to process things before reacting. Though based on the lack of surprise in Ruby’s eyes, Beth had a feeling she suspected what was going on long before tonight.

“So you and gang friend.”

“Rio.” Beth automatically corrected. “And yes.”

Ruby rocked back onto her heels for a moment. “So no new skincare routine?”

And Beth smiled, feeling the apprehension seep out of her in an instant.

“No.”

* * *

Beth drove back to Paper Porcupine to drop the girls off so they could drive home. She’d never been more thankful for not inviting them back to her place for drinks. Given the awkward car ride she just sat through, drinks and snacks would have been pure torture. Annie hadn’t said a word to her since the park, and Ruby gave her a long hug before heading home. Somehow, though, it didn’t make her feel any better. As accepting as Ruby was in the moment, there were bridges to be repaired in the future and trust to rebuild.

Like Beth suspected, Rio’s car was parked on the street beneath the large tree beside her driveway. He needed to leave before she did, so he left the driveway open for her. She hadn’t given him a key to her house. That’s not to say that she didn’t offer, because she did. He’d laughed and said he didn’t need a key to get into her house (she gave him one anyway).

Beth found him sprawled out in the armchair she’d put in her bedroom after Dean moved out. Rio had two tumblers of what she assumed was bourbon on the nightstand on his side of the bed - because they had sides now. He didn’t look up when she walked in, and Beth knew enough about him not to push. Instead she busied herself with removing her boots, letting them clunk heavily to the hardwood. She tossed her bag and coat onto the bed, digging through the bottomless pit of a purse to find her phone that was in desperate need of charging. Checking her messages, she found that Ruby had made it home safe. Annie hadn’t said anything, and Beth knew she wouldn’t. The tension in the room was reaching a point where it couldn’t be ignored anymore. Beth moved around the bed, snagging one of the glasses before sitting on the edge of the bed.

“So.” She prompted.

Rio sighed, sitting forward to grab his own glass. He was never one for drinking, especially dark liquor, which told her all she needed to know about his disposition. 

“So.” His gruff voice filled the air between them.

“Are we going to talk about what happened?” And she didn’t clarify what she wanted to talk about; Beth just wanted to open the door for him.

Rio scrubbed a hand over his face before taking a hefty swig from his glass. She always liked watching him move – all smoothness and confidence though tonight it had a strong undertone of exhaustion.

“Mick and I got into it.” He finally murmured, hunched forward with his elbows braced on his knees.

It wasn’t just that, she knew. He made it seem like something casual, something easily fixable, but it was wearing on him. The exhaustion radiating from his defeated posture made her want to crawl into his lap, but it wasn’t what he needed in that moment.

“Am I allowed to ask what about?” She’d nearly mastered the art of dipping her toe into a conversation to gauge his reaction. It wasn’t perfect, but she was getting there. Some things were strictly off limits to her, which she respected. She was learning what he was willing to share, and what he’d keep locked tight, no matter how much she pried.

The sardonic ghost of a grin that flickered across his face before disappearing did not give her a good feeling.

“You.”

“Ah.”

Beth stared down into her glass. The monster that she’d worked hard to keep pressed deep into the darkest part of her started to writhe beneath her skin. Because as much as she was attracted to him, as well as they got along, Beth was a realist. She knew that if it came down to a black and white decision, he would choose his work over her. It’s hard to come to terms with something like that because no one wants to be a second in their partner’s life, but Beth knew when to have her head in the clouds and when to have her feet firmly on the ground. His work meant his family was provided for, and Beth couldn’t ask him to give that up for her. She never would.

“Knock it off.” Rio was peering at her from under his lashes, the muscle in his jaw jumping.

“Knock what off?”

“Makin’ those damn assumptions that blow up in our faces somewhere down the line.”

Beth averted her eyes, knowing the action made her look guilty, but he was always annoyingly capable of reading her. And he was right, of course. She was prone to overthinking and blowing things out of proportion that eventually turned into drag out fights between them.

“I’m not making any assumptions.” She countered unconvincingly.

“Ma,” Rio groaned, sinking back into his chair, feet spread far apart and his glass resting on a muscled jean clad thigh. “You overthink everything. I say somethin’ and next thing I know you’re having some sort revelation readin’ into shit I don’t even remember sayin’.”

Beth sighed. “I don’t always do that.” 

Rio didn’t respond. Beth could feel the argument brewing between them – him because he was exhausted, she because she was scared – always scared, it seemed, when it came to him and her, and _them_. 

“What did Mick have to say?” Beth veered the topic back on course. Rio noted the swift turn in conversation, but didn’t call her out on it.

“Thinks you’re a distraction.”

And suddenly she could see it fall into place. Mick didn’t much care for her even before her and Rio got together, so it came as no surprise that he still didn’t like her. He was never openly hostile; he just made sure to keep himself as distant as he could. She could see Mick talking to Rio about her – because Beth knew she was a distraction. Perhaps not as bad as she was when they first started working together because they were now – mostly – on the same page, but she was a distraction in another way. Mick had been around for a while, through thick and thin with Rio, so she couldn’t fault him for keeping an eye out and voicing his opinions when he perceived a threat that Rio wasn’t doing anything about.

And Rio would have taken offense if he thought Mick was calling him out, telling him he wasn’t up to the task of keeping all those plates spinning on all those poles in this criminal circus he was running.

Rio would have done something ostentatious, just to prove a point – like kissing her so blatantly in front of everyone.

And Beth found herself smiling, and then chuckling, before she was outright laughing. Rio looked momentarily startled by her reaction before giving her a wry smirk.

“So this all boils down to some sort of alpha male display?” Beth asked once she caught her breath.

Rio had the good grace to look abashed which is not something she could ever remember seeing. He stood, placing his glass down in the nightstand.

“Thought you were gonna rip into me about kissin’ you in front of your girls.” Rio carefully watched her expression as he toed off his shoes in front of the nightstand.

“Oh, we’re absolutely going to discuss that once we’ve exhausted the fact that you had an absolutely caveman like reaction to a comment that Mick made. What exactly did-“

Rio grasped her chin in order to tip her face to his as he bent to kiss her. It was soft and happy, meant to share amusement and silence her. She was pleased to feel that the tension had eased from him, if only for a moment. Beth smiled against his mouth, sighing quietly when he withdrew.

“I wanna take a shower and sleep. It’s been a long day.” The weariness in his shoulders and voice was a testament to just how tired he was.

Rio turned and began shedding his clothes as he headed towards the bathroom, tossing each garment into the hamper she’d put in the bathroom. He shot her a heated look laced with a blatant invitation over his shoulder as he slipped into the bathroom. The door swung over to keep the steam trapped in the bathroom because he knew she didn’t like to get out of the water and step into a chilly room. A moment later she heard the shower kick on and the small linen cabinet open as he hunted for clean towels. Apparently he wasn’t that tired.

Beth found herself smiling and pondering what happened between the two men as she began working the buttons of her blouse.


End file.
